Ruined
by couldbemoresonic
Summary: After the wedding of Bill and Fleur, Tonks and Lupin visit her parents' house to see that they are okay.


**Guess who's back, back again. Here with at least two Remadora stories already written. Hope you enjoy:**

"Oh Nymphadora!" Her mother cried out when she saw her only daughter crossing the front yard at a jog. The young witch was accompanied by her husband who appeared to be carefully closing the small gate that Tonks had flung open carelessly before briskly walking up to the two witches who were now embracing.

"Mum, are you and Dad…" Tonks started, "I came as soon as I could."

"We're alright, Nymphadora, everything's fine," Andromeda assured her now blonde daughter.

"Did they come for you? The Death Eaters?" She spoke fast, tripping over her words almost like she trips over every other door frame.

With a nod, her mother responded coldly, "My dear sister herself paid me a visit."

"Bellatrix?"

Andromeda looked up and made eyes with her son-in-law. He looked tired, shabby… old.

She sighed, "Yes, yes. Let's get you inside, Nymphadora, I'll tell you all about it." Placing a hand on her daughters back, Andromeda ushered her inside.

Remus walked in behind them, closing and charming the door before greeting Ted Tonks with a handshake and leaning in to greet Andromeda with a kiss. The werewolf could have sworn that he felt her turn her cheek just the slightest bit away at his touch.

"I'm glad you are both well," Remus recovered, saying to his wife's parents, "I can't imagine what-"

" _Well_ maybe isn't the word, Lupin." He was shocked to hear the bitter tone that Andromeda took with him. She had almost spit his name in... was that disgust? Remus didn't know how to respond. This kind of tone was not unheard of to him, he often dealt with the sub-humane treatment of werewolves, but never from the Tonks's.

"Mum…" Tonks had taken a step forward between the two, placing a hand on her husband's chest. She faced her mother, who was now glaring in the direction of her werewolf son-in-law, "there's no need to speak to him like that, he was just saying that he's happy to see you okay. As am I, it's what I just said to you outside and you had no problem with it then."

"Yes, of course, Nymphadora…. I just wanted to say…" She glanced in the direction of Remus, who still was frozen with shock, he had placed his hand instinctively over Tonks' shoulders when she had laid her hand on his chest. Andromeda took a breath and spit out, "Well, I know we gave you our blessing and all, but is this _really_ what you want?"

Remus' face had drained of all color and his pulse quickened. He didn't need to hear any more to know that Andromeda was referring to. Without waiting to her Tonks' answer, he turned on his heel, uncharmed the door, and walked quickly into the garden. He was suddenly filled with a shame that could rival none. Shame of his condition mixed with the guilt of dragging his new wife into the mix. He had told her, he had said time and time again- that this wouldn't work. Hadn't he said? Hadn't he warned her? People just wouldn't accept her union with him… and now her own mother…. Remus kicked a fencepost at the far end of the yard. He considered disapparating, but was interrupted before he moved from the fence.

"If you break my fence, I'm going to have to ask you to fix it, son," came a voice from behind him. Remus was not expecting Ted Tonks to be making his way down the foot path to him. Remus sat down in a garden bench dejectedly. Running a hand through his hair, he tried to think of something to say to his father in law, who was grunting as he settled in next to Remus. Remus momentarily thought that it would crack under the weight of them, but it did not. The men sat in silence for a few moments, listening only to the crickets and the sound of the two witches still in the sitting room, who appeared to be having a shouting match.

"I've ruined her," Remus mumbled into his hands, "haven't I?"

"You musn't blame 'Dromeda for the things she said, son. She had a pretty nasty encounter with Bellatrix. That horrid woman said all sorts of things… About me, about you, about Dora…" he trailed off.

"Can I ask…?"

He glanced up at the sky, "I'm not sure you want to know."

Remus looked determined. "I have to know." He was disgusted by himself. He had brought his beautiful, young, vibrant wife down with him. She would never recover from being the "werewolf's bitch". He deserved to be punished.

Ted sighed deeply and glanced up at the stars before responding, "She came into our house calling for 'Dromeda. We didn't know what had happened to all the protective spells that were in place, we thought- well we couldn't run and we couldn't hide for very long. She tried to tell me to stay hidden, but like hell I was going to hide while my wife was being tortured."

Remus nodded at this; he understood the feeling well. Every time there had been conflict, Remus had fought the urge to tell Tonks to run and hide so she would be safe. But he knew she would hex him into next week if he had suggested such a ludacris thing.

"Well Bellatrix, she… she took her time with 'Dromeda. Used the cruciatus curse… pulled her around by her hair. Another death eater, I'm not sure of his name, but he was large and blond… he had restrained me and they made me watch as she… as…" Remus put a hand on the shoulder of the shuddering man, "No, no, son, it's okay." He paused. "Bellatrix tortured her for hours." Looking at Remus he said pointedly, "but she never said anything! She didn't tell them where Harry had gone, or where the Order would be… She didn't say anything at all in fact. Bellatrix taunted her and provoked her, but my 'Dromeda… she's tough as nails, she is. She said nothing to that demented lady."

The men were quiet for a moment and in their silence, they could hear some heated squabble in the kitchen. Words drifted on the cool breeze out to the garden. _Hypocrite_ he had heard his Dora's voice yell. _Dangerous_ he heard in return.

 _"Impure spawn_ she called Dora." Ted continued with his story, "And then she kept on, sayin' that Dora had… that she had disgraced Andromeda further by marrying you." Remus did not react. Ted continued, "That Dora had gone and done to 'Dromeda even worse than what 'Dromeda had done to her own family. That Dora had dragged even _the mudblood_ , that's me, you see, _even the mudblood's name, filthy as it is, had been defiled by werewolf taint_ is what she said. They called her _werewolf feed._ And they called her your _bitch_."

Remus looked horrified. He didn't have the words to respond.

"Still she said nothing. Only opened her mouth to scream, she did. So you have to forgive her, Remus, she doesn't really mean all of those things she said to you. We know you love our Dora; 'Dromeda is just… worried, you see? These be troubled times and we both witnessed the wrath of Bellatrix. She had even mentioned something about _trimming the family tree_. We want only happiness for the both of you, of course, Remus, but we also do not fancy to see you or her dead." He sighed quietly, "Her own sister, that was."

At this, Remus stood up, facing the house with the still screaming witches inside it. He had remembered how Tonks had been there in his arms after moving Harry to the burrow, just days before. _Bellatrix wants to kill me_ she had said to him. How stupid had he been? How blind had he been by relief to see her standing there, alive, that he had forgotten momentarily that it was her _aunt_ who had so desperately tried to murder her?

In the silence that remained, Remus thought he should apologize for having fallen in love with his only daughter. For being so selfish as to marry her.

"Ted, Dora is…" so quietly came his voice, and so full of shame, he wasn't even sure that it was his, "Dora is pregnant."

Before his father-in-law could react, their attention was drawn by the violent tossing open of the front door. Nymphadora Tonks strode quickly out of it, previously blonde hair black as the night sky and her mother still calling for her over the threshold.

"We're leaving," Tonks said to Lupin, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the gate that they had walked into not twenty minutes prior. They turned on the spot, and the last thing that Remus saw before they apparated was the long and sad face of Ted Tonks.

 **Please review! I tried to keep them in character to the best of my ability. Let me know if you liked it! Or if you HATED IT. JK, don't tell me you hated it. Unless you hated it in an "oh god no why would you make me so sad" kind of way.**

 **LL &P **


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